What Do We Know About the Mysterious Death of Grad Student, Jelani Day?
Missing since August 24th, his body was found September 4th, but not identified until nearly 3 weeks later
At this time, very little is known about the disappearance of Jelani “J.J.” Day. While the country has been focused on the tragic death of Gabby Petito, Day’s family had expressed concern officials were not taking his case seriously.
Though there has been extensive coverage for Day’s disappearance locally, his case has not garnered the kind of national attention as Petito’s.
Day’s family searches for answers
Day’s mother, Carmen Bolden Day, told WGLT of her frustration at how her son’s disappearance was being handled by authorities,
“I understand that there are other crimes that they have to investigate, but it seems like I only have this one detective and I understand he has a life outside of his work. But once he stops, does that mean we stop looking for my son?”
Before Day’s body was found, his mother said in a local TV interview that it’s not that she wanted less attention spent on finding Petito. But she wanted the same amount of focus to be on her son’s case,
“I want them to look for my child like they’re looking for her. He is not a nobody, he is somebody — and I want him to come back home. I want them to give my son the same attention, and it makes me mad because this young white girl is getting that attention and my young Black son is not.”
Who was Jelani Day?
Day was a 25-year-old graduate student at Illinois State University studying to become a doctor. His family has not given up searching for answers stating on their Facebook page, “As of this moment, we do not know what happened to Jelani and we will not stop until we do.”
What are the facts?
Day was last seen on campus on August 24th. His family reported him missing the next day.
Day’s car was found on August 26th in the nearby town of Peru with the plates taken off. His phone has not been recovered, but his wallet was found in a different location from his car or his body, and his lanyard with his school ID was found in another location.
On September 4, an unidentified body was found on the banks of the Illinois River. On Thursday, September 23rd, the police announced they had identified the body as Jelani Day.
The cause of death has not been released at this time, and very few other details have been reported so far.
Memorial Service to be held on October 9
Day’s family is hosting a memorial service open to the public on Saturday, October 9 in honor of Day’s memory and in celebration of his life. The time and location are not yet announced.
You can follow Justice for Delani Jay on Facebook for updates.
Day’s family is not giving up their search for justice
“We STILL need people who have information to come forward. If you know anything about what happened to Jelani, or had contact with Jelani in the days and weeks before his disappearance, please contact Bloomington Police Detective Paul Jones at (309)434–2548 or email him at pjones@cityblm.org.
“We have also hired JAB Professional Services to assist the police. Information regarding Jelani’s disappearance can be emailed/texted to Beliveaups@yahoo.com 618–223–0044 © The family is offering a $25,000+ cash reward: https://gofund.me/8ee08e46" — Statement from Day’s family made on Facebook.
Sources: WAND17 TV, NPR.org, WGLT, ABC7 Chicago, Yahoo News
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